Page 70 of Burn for the Devil

People milled between the tables while I took it all in. My eyes lifted when I felt an electrical thrill course through me. Ramone was several tables away, his eyes lit on me, a small smile on his lips. He was standing with the scarred man my friends called Ilya, and a few others. People passed between us, blocking my view, but not severing the connection. My heart thudded in my chest, and not from fear.

“I think I know who bit you,” Helen suddenly whispered in my ear.

Feeling myself flush, I repeated what I’d said before. “Maybe.” When I looked for Ramone again, he smiled slightly bigger this time before turning back to his friend.

“It's really not fair,” Caroline sighed wistfully. “We need more like him.”

“That’s a terrifying thought,” I remarked, looking for more champagne.

Helen cut in, “Sure, it is. I can see just how terrified you are.”

I felt his heat before I saw him, his presence a tangible force of its own. “She should be terrified,” Ramone said to Helen, curling an arm around me. “Come.”

“Where are we going?” I glanced up at him. When I looked back at Caroline, she was biting her lip, and her eyes were hooded. Ever the arrogant ass, Ramone smirked at me and led me away.

The pressure of the crowd’s eyes on us grated at me but I kept my practiced small smile on my face. Ramone was taking me over to where he was earlier, his friends still gathered there. Before we could meet up with them though, we were interrupted by Senator White.

“Samantha my dear, I can’t wait for us to catch up while we dine,” he purred, apparently ignorant of my being escorted possessively by the man at my side.

“I’m afraid there’s been a change in the seating arrangements, senator,” I replied. His oily gaze dragged over me, sending a shudder up my spine.

Senator White stared at my breasts before his interest focused on my bite mark. Ramone let out a deep growl and took a step closer to the man.

I grabbed his hand and he tried to pull away, but I held on. “No, Ramone.”

He stopped, the Senator watching us with interest. “If anyone dares to eye you the way this insect is, I will kill them. Then, I’ll paint your body with their blood and lick it from your skin.” Ramone nuzzled my neck, inhaling deeply, before staring the man down.

Mister White blanched and began backing away.

Twining my fingers with Ramone’s I said, “You can’t just go around murdering anyone who looks at me.”

“Yes, I can.” He chuckled. “Who’s gonna stop me?”

“You’re gonna get in trouble one of these days,” I stated.

He huffed. “I’m too rich to get in trouble.”

35

Samantha

Ramone was probably correct in his assessment of his status as a wealthy man; I knew how this world generally worked. “You can only kill so many people before whatever protection you have isn’t quite enough,” I said pointedly. “Try to control yourself.” This wasn’t a conversation I’d ever imagined myself having.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll only kill those who deserve it from now on.”

Tilting my head, I eyed him. He smirked.

He continued to lead me away from where we’d been with the senator, and we ended up near his friends. “Samantha, this is Ilya, Alexander, and Ivan.” Ramone introduced the men who formed a half circle around us.

Ilya was the man with a scar down the side of his face, and I remembered spotting Alexander at the cancer fundraiser. I’d never seen Ivan before, that I remembered. He was slightly shorter than the others, but no less attractive with his fine clothing and thick hair. He had what looked like three-day-old stubble covering his jaw and appeared less tense than his companions.

Ramone and Ilya seemed to have an energy about them that anticipated a crisis or some type of danger. They both kept scanning the room with their eyes as if searching for something. I ran my thumb over Ramone’s knuckles, trying to soothe him, and was answered with a light squeeze before he let go and put his hands in his pockets.

“Where is Stefan?” He questioned Ilya.

Ilya lit a cigarette and took a long drag. “Somewhere. He didn’t leave.” Ash fell on his shoe, and he glanced down at it and tapped it off. “Something’s wrong. You can feel it, right?”

“Yes,” Ramone said, tensing further.